Illinois makes final four schools for 2019 priority target Terrence Shannon Jr.

Update 8/10/18:

Shannon Jr. announces on Twitter his final four schools, which includes Illinois.

Original Story:

He’s seen his name blow up in the past few weeks AFTER graduating high school. A Chicago native and Lincoln Park High School alum, Terrence Shannon Jr. reclassified from the 2018 class to the 2019 class where he will take a prep year at IMG Academy in Florida.

According to 247Sports.com, Shannon Jr. is the No. 79 player in the class of 2019. At 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, he could find himself filling right into the perimeter roles that guys like Aaron Jordan, Tevian Jones and Kipper Nichols do for the Orange and Blue. Shannon has battled numerous injuries throughout high school, experienced a 12-inch growth spurt from his freshman season, and flew under the radar of most D1 teams up until recently.

With him being so young and taking a prep year, it means Shannon gets to run the EYBL circuits one last time, and it’s with every Illinois fan’s favorite AAU team: the Mac Irvin Fire.

And when you break down his tapes, you can see why schools like Maryland, Louisville, Florida State, Virginia Tech and more have all offered. Shannon is a lanky lefty with plenty of bounce. He breaks down opposing defenders off the dribble and attacks the rim with a vengeance. I mean just look at those dunks, that’s some authority.

But he isn’t just a flashy off-guard with some hop. Shannon is also a legitimate three-point threat, and his length will cause issues for other guards on defense.

There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding Illinois’ basketball program at the moment. Coach Underwood is about to enter his second season with the team, but he’s also leaving three (!!) open scholarships on the table. And now Samba Kane won’t be joining the team until August. Some fans speculate if he’ll even make it to Champaign again. The staff is still on the hunt for a grad transfer big, but as the days dwindle and summer practices continue to go by, the chances of bringing in a big get smaller and smaller.

Shannon is a target at the top of the list for Brad Underwood in the 2019 class, along with teammate Kahlil Whitney and fellow Illinois native E.J. Liddell. The staff has made multiple Mac Irvin Fire guys top targets. With Da’Monte Williams and Ayo Dosunmu already on the team and targets like Shannon, Whitney and Adam Miller (2020), the Illini might just be building themselves a nice pipeline. (Kind of like Trinity Catholic for Illinois Football.)

A prep year will allow Shannon to develop his game just a bit more and see how he stacks up against stiff competition. If he continues to improve and turn heads, Shannon could find his name on big boards all across the nation — and Illinois might have the advantage.

What do you think of the tape and of Terrence Shannon Jr.?